Sri Dalada Maligawa
By: Neranjan Wijeyeratne
(Diyawadana Nilame)

Kandy with its salubrious climes and the fascinating scenery’s, is a beautiful city, unique and unmatched. It was the capital of the Singhalese Kings form 1592 to
1815 when they reigned supreme, fortified by the terrain of the mountains and the difficult approach. The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, popularly known as the Sri Dalda Maligawa is located in this beautiful city and was built within the royal palace complex itself which housed the Buddha's only surviving Tooth Relic, the hallowed object of veneration for the Buddhists the world over. It is needless to speak much about this city, but suffice to mention that it is a world heritage site declared by UNESCO.

This Sacred Relic has a long and unbroken history spanning over two and half millennia. When Buddha passed away, His body was cremated in a sand a I wood pyre at Kusinara in India and His left canine tooth was retrieved from the funeral pyre by Arahat Khema who handed it over to King Brahmadatte for veneration. Ever since then it became a royal possession and there grew up a belief that whoever who possessed the Sacred Tooth Relic had a divine right to rule the country. Thus there were wars to take possession of the Relic and finally when it was in the possession of King Guhasiva of Kalinga, fearing that his enemies would snatch it, he secretly sent the Sacred Tooth Relic to Sri Lanka through his daughter Princess Hemamali and her husband Danthakumara.

Having placed the Sacred Relic in a golden casket embedded with gems and after hiding it in her hair ornament, the royal couple disguised themselves as Brahamins and set sail in a ship which after facing the hazards of sea travel in those by-gone days, finally arrived in Sri Lanka when King Kirti Sri Megavanna (301- 328) was ruling this splendid island. The King was overjoyed when he heard the news and warmly welcomed the Royal Couple and received the Sacred Tooth Relic with great veneration. He built a beautiful palace within the Royal Palace Complex itself and enshrined the Relic in it. Thereafter, he ordered that and annual perahera be held in honour of the Sacred Relic. As time went on and being threatened with foreign invasions, the Kingdom was shifted from Anuradhapura
to polonnaruwa and thereafter to Dambadernya and other cities. With every change of capital, a new palace was built to enshrine the Relic. Finally, it was brought to Andy where it is at present. During the annals of its long history, the Sacred Tooth Relic came to be regarded as a symbolic representation of the
living Buddha and it is on this basis that there grew up a series of offerings, rituals and ceremonies. These are conducted under the supervision of the two
Mahanayake Theros of Malwatte and Asgiriya Chapters and the Diyawadana Nilame of the Maligawa. They have a hierarchy of officials and temple functionaries to' perform these services and rituals.

There is daily in the inner chamber a ritual worship conducted by the monks of the two chapters of Malwatte and Asgiriya undertaken in rotation annually. They conduct these services thrice a day, at dawn, at noon and in the evening.

On every Wednesday, there is a symbolic bathing of the Sacred Relic with a herbal preparation made form scented water and flagrant flowers, called Nanumura Mangallaya. This holy water is believed to contain healing powers and is distributed among those present.

Ceremonies

There are special religious programs conducted in the Maligawa on every Full Moon Poya day where large numbers
participate. Apart from these daily, weekly and monthly ceremonies, there are four major ceremonies held every year. They are;

(a) Aluth Sahal Mangailaya;
(b) Avurudu Mangallaya;
(c) AsalaMa ngallaya; and
(d) Karthika Mangallaya.

Of these the most important is the Asala Mangallaya. Asala, according to the Sinhalese Calendar, is the month of July/ August This is the months in which Kandy gets into a festive mood. Shop-keepers and hoteliers pile up their stock to
cater to the massive crowds that throng the city. Maligawa and its premises are gaily decorated and are illuminated with strings of lights, including the esplanade.

These lights burn throughout the night. A few days before the Perahera, A Kapa, a sapling from a tree that sheds milky juice is erected in each of the four
Devales. On the 5th day, The Kumbal Perahera begins and goes on for 10 consecutive nights when the sacred relic casket is taken round the streets of Kandy accompanied by exotically costumed dancers and drummers.

These dance forms vary. The most popular dance froms are the Ves, Udekki, Pantheru, Naiyandi, Hewisi, Savang and Leekeli and the dancers with years of experience reveal their dexterity in the performance of their respective dances.

The most colorful Perahera is last Randoli Perahera which falls on the Asala Full Moon Poya day. On this day, at the auspicious time the Perahera starts. The Diyawadana Nilame in full traditional Kandyan dress will enter the inner chamber to receive the Perahera Karanduwa containing the Buddha Relics. The Mahanayake Thero will place the relics casket on the velvet cloth clonintricately embroidered with gold and silver, held by both hands by the Nilame. As he steps out of the chamber bearing the relics casket, the crowd with one heart and one voice starts chanting sadhu, sadhu, sadhu and the chorus will go on while the mini perahera begins. A red and yellow floor spread (pavada) embroidered with appliqués of different hues is laid before him, and two Temple functionaries will start strewing jasmine flowers on it while the Diyawadana Nilame, carrying the casket, will slowly tread over the pavada. In front of him two hand torches are held by bearers while the kavikaramaduwa sing songs in praise of the Dalada. The Nilame walks past the udamale and begin to descend the wooden staircase and go past the digge and ambarawa and finally arrives the place where the tusker is waiting to carry the casket.

The casket containing the Buddha Relics is always carried by a tusker decorated with a is magnificent dress embedded with colored bulbs and generally looks more colorful then the other caparisoned elephants numbering over 75 who take part in the Perahera. The decorated ransivige is placed on the back of this tusker and the relics casket is placed inside it on, a velvet cushion, by the Nilame. After the Nilame and the Mahanayake Thero strew jasmine flowers on the casket the tusker arrives at the wahalkada followed by the Nilame.

The Perahera proper begins as the canon booms. Leading the n Perahera is the band of whip crackers who crack their whips in rhythmic pattern announcing it that the Perahera is on. Immediately following are two o flag bearers carrying the two flags of the Sathara Korale (known as Ira Kodiya) embossed with the symbols of the sun and the moon indicating the wish that this Perahera be held until the sun and the moon last. Next comes the peramunerala, attired in the traditional white dress and riding a caparisoned elephant and carrying the sannasa, the royal charter to hold the Perahera. Following him is the Gajanayake, A the Maligawa official in charge of the elephants, elegantly dressed in traditional Kandyan dress carrying the ankusaya the instrument by which elephants are controlled.

The crowd is impatiently waiting to get a glimpse of the tusker carrying the relics casket. It's a wonderful sight to see the tusker r dressed in a decorated costume and brilliantly illuminated bearing the ransivige in which the Perahera Karandawa rests on n velvet cushion, with garlands of jasmine flowers hanging dangling above it and strings of lights flickering all the time, tread over the pavada in easured steps under the canopy held over the ransivie by 16 able bodied men with poles and strings. As the karanduwa passes by, the crowd, stand up and with their hands clasped together chanting sadhu, sadhu, sadhu thereby paying their homage to the Sacred Tooth Relic.

The focus of the crowd then moves towards the Diyawadana Nilarne who, attired in his traditional Kandyan constume, slowly walks by under a large e embroidered umbrella held by a Vidane of the Maligawa and e flanked by two troupes of Ves
dancers whose performance is a lovely sight to see.

Over 75 caparisoned elephants, 1000s of dancers and drummers, hundreds of flag bearers and torchbearers take part in each of the Peraheras. The Maligawa Perahera is followed by the Devala Peraheras in the order of Natha, Vishnu, Kataragama and Pattini under the direction of the respective Basnayake Nilames,
who in their traditional Kandy an costumes, take part in the Perahera.

After the day perahera, it is e customary for the Diyawadana Nilarne and the Basnayake Nilames of the four devalas to report to Her Excellency the' President that the Perahera was satisfactorily Conducted.

As the Perahera draws to an end, the onlooker is apt to conclude that it is nothing but sheer ingenuity of the Bliddhists from ancient times to have organized the country's talents in arts and g crafts including drumming and dancing into a cultural pageant of such magnitude and offer it to '" the Sacred Tooth Relic of Lord
Buddha as a form of veneration.